Self-feeding apron.



No. 670,!09. Patented Mar. I9, 190i. T. V. PAYNE.

SELF FEEDING APRON.

(Appligation filed Nov. 24, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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Un rn TATES FFICE.

ATENT THOMASV. PAYNE, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE NICHOLS AND SHEPARD COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SELF-FEEDING APRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,109. dated March 19, 1901.

Application filed November 24, 1900. Serial No. 37,631. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS V. PAYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Self-Feeding Apron, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to self feeding aprons, the object in view being to provide an endless apron equipped with auxiliary devices in the form of hooks or fingers adapted to assist in propelling or moving grain or bundles thereof toward a given point.

The improved apron hereinafter described is especially designed for use in connection with threshing-machines for delivering the grain to the beater, cylinder, and concave.

The ordinary apron designed for the purpose above referred to performs its work imperfectly, especially when operating upon loose grain, it frequently happening that the grain lies loosely upon the apron and fails to be carried forward and delivered to the cutting-knives. It has been attemptedto overcome this difficulty by employing hooks of various kinds, but in many instances they carry a considerable part of the loose grain over the inner end of the feeder, causing much waste and litter.

The present invention involves the use of a number of folding hooks or fingers which are carried by cross-slats secured to the apron, and the slats and fingers are so arranged relatively to each other that the slats form limiting stop-shoulders for the fingers or hooks and enable the fingers to resist the inward drag of the grain when it is acted upon by the beater or cylinder. These and other objects of the invention will be fully pointed out in the course of the ensuing description.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claim. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through a feeder, showing the improved self-feeding apron. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical crosssection through the same, taken adjacent to for the purpose of illustration in Fig. 1 as associated with a threshing-machine, in which 1 designates the threshing-cylinder, 2 the concave, 3 the beater, and 1 the frame of the feeder, upon which the grain, either loose or in bundles, is placed preparatory to delivering the same into the threshing-machine.

In carrying out the present invention two rollers are employed, one a grooved roller 5, arranged at the machine end of the apron, and the other, 6, a plain roller which is arranged at the outer end of the apron, the apron being designated at 7 and shown as passing around both of the rollers referred to.

The apron as a whole comprises an outer member 8, which is transversely continuous and constructed of any suitable flexible material and an inner member 9, which is also composed of flexible material and which comprises a plurality of bands or belts 10, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. Cross slats or cleats 11 are interposed between the outer and inner apron members and are firmly and rigidly secured thereto by means of bolts 12 and washers 13, the said bolts 12 also serving as means for rigidly attaching to the slats 11 brackets or hangers 14, in which fingers or hooks 15 are pivotally mounted. Each bracket 14 comprises a base or plate portion 16, having a hole 17 for the bolt 12, and rearwardly-projecting ears 18, spaced apart and adapted to receive the L-shaped finger 15 between them, said finger being pivotally sup ported by a pin or bolt 19, as best illustrated in Fig. 5. In order to properly position the hanger or bracket 14, the latter is provided with shoulders 20, which are brought to bear against the cross slat or ole-at 11. The bracket or hanger 14 rests against the inner side of the cross-slat 11, thus bringing the fulcrum 19 of each finger approximately in line with the inner surface of said slat and immediately adjacent to the inner apron member 9. The outer apron member 8 is slotted, as indicated at 21, to allow the projecting portion of the L-shaped finger to swing through a quarter-circle or from the full-lineposition of Fig. 3 to the dotted-line position of the same figure, and vice versa. In order to sustain the fingers in working position and enable them to propel the grain inward to the machine, a platform or guide-board 22 extends between the rollers 5 and 6 and in line with their upper surface, as shown in Fig. 1, the L-shaped foot portions 23 of the fingers bearing and riding against said board, while the projecting portions of the fingers bear against the adjacent edges of the cross-slats, as shown in Fig. 1, and illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. In this way the fingers are sustained or braced in both directions as they propel the grain iuward-a feature of great importance when it is taken into consideration that as the grain is acted upon by the cuttingknives there is a strong tendency to forcibly drag the grain inward faster than the movement of the apron. These books or fingers should therefore be able to resist this inward jerk upon the grain or else the efficiency of the fingers would be seriously impaired. By

the construction described the cross-slats take the strain directly and the foot portion 23 of each finger is prevented from pressing upward against the outer apron member and buckling or bending the same out of shape.

The inner roller 5 is provided with grooves 24: sufficiently deep to receive the foot portions 23 of the hooks or fingers, so that after the portions 23 pass out of engagement with the board 22 the fingers may readily fold, as

shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, thus allowing the grain to escape from the apron and avoiding waste and litter. As the fingers pass around the outer roller 6 they are swung ontward and upward to their operative positions, so as to project and engage the grain and carry the latter forward in a manner which will be readily understood.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

An endless belt composed of two flexible members, and cross-slats secured between the said members, in combination with brackets secured to the slats, and L'shaped fingers pivotally connected to the brackets substantially in line with the inner surfaces of the slats whereby the rear faces of the latter act as stop-shoulders for the fingers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS V. PAYNE.

Witnesses:

A. W. SOUTHARD, FRED H. WEBB. 

